Dr Michelle Dickinson: nanotechnologist on scientists creating tomatoes that smell like popcorn

Imagine biting into a tomato that smells like freshly buttered popcorn.

Research published in the journal KeAi showed the world’s first tomato plants with a popcorn-like aroma made using gene-editing technology. The goal is part of a much bigger effort to solve one of the biggest problems in modern agriculture: why tomatoes have lost so much of their flavour.

Why tomatoes don’t taste like they used to

If you’ve ever eaten a tomato straight from a garden, you probably know the difference immediately.

Homegrown tomatoes are often sweet, fragrant, and intensely flavourful. Supermarket tomatoes, by comparison, can sometimes taste bland.

Once removed from the vine, the fruit begins to undergo metabolic changes that slowly reduce its aroma and flavour. Long transport times and storage conditions make this even worse. Over decades, breeding tomatoes for durability, size, and shelf life has also unintentionally reduced many of the compounds responsible for flavour.

Scientists around the world are now trying to bring that flavour back.

The science behind the popcorn smell

In the new study, researchers used the gene-editing technology CRISPR/Cas9 to modify two specific genes in tomato plants.

These genes normally control how the plant processes certain chemical compounds.

By switching them off, the researchers triggered the buildup of a molecule called 2-AP.

This compound is famous in the food world. It’s responsible for the distinctive smell of:

• Buttered popcorn
• Fragrant rice varieties like basmati and jasmine
• Freshly baked bread

When the edited tomatoes started producing higher levels of this compound, the plants developed a distinct popcorn-like aroma.

Improving flavour without hurting the plant

One of the most important findings from the research is that the genetic change didn’t appear to harm the plant’s performance, so scientists managed to increase the tomato’s aroma without reducing yield or nutritional value.

The tomatoes used in the experiment were a research variety called Alisa Craig, commonly used in plant science studies.

The next step will be introducing the aroma trait into commercial tomato varieties that are grown at scale.

If successful, future supermarket tomatoes could have far richer aromas and more complex flavour, something that many people feel has been missing from modern produce.

This research is part of a growing trend in agriculture: using gene editing not just to make crops tougher or higher yielding, but to improve the eating experience itself.

Instead of choosing between flavour and productivity, scientists are increasingly finding ways to achieve both.

And if that future includes tomatoes that smell like buttered popcorn, it might make the produce aisle a lot more interesting.

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